High Fuel Economy in U.S.; Low CO2 in Europe

Differing Priorities

The fuel economy of all new cars and trucks sold in the United States has reached an all-time high, the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute says. Meanwhile, the independent analysis firm JATO Dynamics says cars and trucks sold in the European Union are the cleanest ever, as measured by carbon dioxide emissions. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has set a Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard of 35.5 mpg by the 2016 model year. The European Union has similarly strict new CO2 emissions standards that take effect in 2015.CAFE and CO2 emissions are two different ways to look at the same problem. Raise fuel efficiency and you lower a vehicle's CO2 emissions. UMTRI says the average fuel efficiency of vehicles sold in the U.S. in February reached 23.7 mpg by EPA combined fuel economy, up 0.2 mpg over January, when it reached 23.5 mpg. The February number is 5 percent higher than the December 2011 number of 22.6 mpg. In February 2008, the average in the U.S. was 20.4 mpg.A variety of reasons explain the upward trend in U.S. fuel efficiency. There are fewer pickup trucks in the mix. They make up about 12 percent of U.S. sales, compared with more than 14 percent earlier in the last decade. Unibody four-cylinder and V-6-powered crossover sport/utilities have all but replaced large, V-8-powered body-on-frame models as the SUVs of choice, and technological advances from gas direct-injection and seven- and eight-speed automatics to hybrid and alternative powerplants have improved the fuel efficiency of most models.In Europe, JATO reports, the average CO2 emissions from new cars has dropped from 140.9 grams per kilometer (0.50 lb/mi) in 2010 to 136.1 (0.48 lb/mi) in 2011. Nearly 30 percent of new cars sold in Europe are classified "low CO2 models," JATO says.